Putin Defends Russian Determine Skater At Middle Of Winter Olympic Doping Scandal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended teenage determine skater Kamila Valieva, who was on the heart of a doping scandal on the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Russian skater’s performances couldn’t have been achieved with the assistance of any banned substances, Putin claimed in feedback on April 26.

Valieva failed a doping take a look at on the Russian nationwide championships in December however the end result was solely revealed on February 8, a day after she had helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win gold within the group occasion.

“The entire nation, determine skating followers all around the world, had been particularly frightened about Kamila,” Putin mentioned throughout a televised ceremony with Russian Olympic and Paralympic medalists on the Kremlin.

Valieva has “absorbed all probably the most complicated components of determine skating — its flexibility, magnificence, energy, and tenderness…and along with her work introduced the game to the peak of actual artwork,” Putin mentioned.

“Such perfection can’t be achieved dishonestly with the assistance of further substances, manipulations,” he added.

Putin gave Valieva a state award and congratulated her on her sixteenth birthday, which was April 26.

Throughout the Beijing Olympics, Valieva was cleared to compete within the ladies’s single occasion by the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport, however she completed in fourth place after falling a number of occasions within the particular person free skate.

Russia competed on the Beijing Olympics because the ROC with out its flag or anthem following years of doping sanctions and authorized battles throughout quite a few sports activities. Russia has denied any doping was state-sponsored.

Putin additionally claimed that the elimination of Russian and Belarusian Paralympians from the Beijing Paralympic Video games after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 was a case of discrimination based mostly on nationality, and he criticized the Worldwide Swimming Federation (FINA) for handing Russian Olympic gold medalist Yevgeny Rylov a nine-month suspension for attending a rally backing Moscow’s navy intervention in Ukraine.

Since Moscow invaded Ukraine, athletes and groups from Russia and its ally Belarus have been excluded from many worldwide sports activities occasions, and Russia has been stripped of the rights to host numerous competitions. Putin mentioned Russia ought to arrange new occasions of their place.

“The canceled competitions should be compensated with our personal new codecs. And we are able to get it finished quick,” Putin mentioned, including that Russia ought to invite “worldwide athletes, golf equipment, groups.”

With reporting by Reuters, RFERL, AFP, AP, and dpa